17 May 2024
Inspiring students into research
Applications open for new INSIGHT Programme for South London.
The National Institute of Health and Care Research (NIHR) INSIGHT Programme for South London aims to make research accessible and engaging for students and professionals in health and care, and debunk the myth that research is too hard or difficult to embed in day-to-day practice.
The NIHR aims to develop a highly skilled research workforce capable of advancing the best research which improves health and care, and benefits society and the economy. The ‘NIHR INSIGHT: Inspiring Students and Practitioners into Research’ scheme is part of the NIHR Academy’s expanded portfolio of career support for health and social care professionals.
The INSIGHT Programme for South London is one of 12 NIHR INSIGHT Regional Programmes. The Programme for South London is a partnership between four universities and seven NHS trusts, collaborating with four NIHR organisations supporting research generation, delivery, implementation, and workforce development. The partners encompass health and care provision in acute, community, public health, mental health, and social care.
The Director of South London Programme is Professor Catherine Evans, King’s College London and the co-Director is Dr Adele Stewart-Lord, London South Bank University.
Our Partner Director details the respective leads for each partner organisation, their ambitions for the programme and assets to realise our intention for health and care professionals to pursue rewarding research careers.
Our ambition is that ‘You have to see research to know what it is and the difference it makes.’ (Student representative)
Our intention is to build, signpost and support opportunities for research exposure and training to inspire students and professionals to enter research, and link opportunities, for people to pursue rewarding research careers. This encompasses the full breadth of research careers, including advanced clinical practice and clinical academic careers, through to delivering research. To achieve this, the South London Programme is structured around two main areas.
Research Masters Studentships
The Research Masters Studentships provide valuable training for health and care professionals seeking to pursue a research career. They provide training and exposure in real world research.
The Research Masters Studentship application deadline is 17:00 (GMT) on 1 July 2024.
Applicants will be informed of the outcome by mid-July 2024.
As part of this studentship, you will be able to take one of the Master programmes outlined below. The Master Studentship can be undertaken full-time or part-time (availability varies by Master programme). Studentships are available to ‘top-up’ a Post-graduate Diploma to complete the Research Project Module for award of Master (availability varies by Master programme). 22 Master programmes are offered across the four partner universities:
King’s College London
Guidance on choosing between MRes Clinical research and MSc in Clinical Research Delivery
Required Research modules:
-
- Advanced Quantitative Research Methods
- Advanced Qualitative Research Methods
Healthcare Technologies MRes/MSc
Required Research modules:
-
- Critical Skills for Translational Healthcare Technologies
- Group Research Project in Healthcare Technologies
- Extended Individual Research Project in Healthcare Technologies
Clinical Research Delivery MSc (three years Part-time, distance learning only)
Required Research modules:
-
- Year 1: Research Practice Experience 1, Evidence and Research as the Basis of Care, Issues in the Conduct of Healthcare Research
- Year 2: Research Practice Experience 2
- Year 3: Dissertation in Clinical Research
Required Research modules:
-
- Research Methods & Statistics in Palliative Care
- Research Study Project
Required Research modules:
-
- Ultrasound Physics and Equipment
- Clinical Ultrasound Practice
- Advancing Clinical Ultrasound Practice
- Research and Service Innovation
- Clinical Ultrasound Dissertation
Required Research modules:
-
- Basic epidemiology & Statistics for Public Health
- Health economics
- Social Research Methods for Public Health Public Health and Primary Care Dissertation
Required Research modules:
-
- Research Methodology in Global Health credits)
- Global Health Dissertation Optional method modules:
- Health Economics
- Economic evaluation in mental health
- Basic Epidemiology & Statistics
- Designing Quantitative Research for Social Science and Health
- Designing Qualitative Research for Social Sciences and health
Women and Children’s Health, MSc
Required Research modules:
-
- Scientific and Clinical Research Skills in Practice
- Research Methods and Applied Statistics
- Research Project in Women and Children’s Health (scientific and clinical research focused – wet lab, clinic and literature based)
Global Health, Social Justice and Public Policy, MSc
Required Research method modules:
-
- Dissertation in Global Health, Social Justice and Public Policy Take two of the following:
- Designing Quantitative Research for Social Science and Health
- Designing Qualitative Research for Social Science and Health
- Critical Policy Research for Health and Medicine
- Dissertation in Global Health, Social Justice and Public Policy Take two of the following:
Required Research modules:
-
- Basic Mental Health
- Introductory Statistics
- Statistics for Mental Health Research
- Advanced Statistics
- Qualitative Research Methods
- Systematic Reviews in Mental Health
- Big Data in Mental Health Research
Health and Social Care Policy, MSc (Funded by the Department of Health and Social Care) - This is a ‘closed’ programme with direct recruitment of health and care professionals by the DHSC. Please email KCATO@kcl.ac.uk to connect with the course leads.
St George's, University of London
MRes Biomedical Science - Clinical biomedical research pathway
Required Research modules:
-
- Research Methods
- Statistics
- Research project planning and management
- Clinical biomedical research
- Research project
Required Research modules:
-
- Bioinformatics, Interpretation and Data Quality Assurance in Genome Analysis
- Fundamentals of Human Genetics and Genomics
- Omics Techniques and Technologies and Their Application to Genomic Medicine
- Research Project
London South Bank University
Required Research modules:
-
- Research in health & social care
- Optional specialist modules
Advanced Paediatric Critical Care MSc (Evelina/LSBU Partnership)
Required Research modules:
-
- Research dissertation
- Specialist modules
Research modules – required:
-
- Research dissertation
- Specialist modules
Nursing MSc (Neuroscience Care or PgDip; MSc Adult Nursing)
Required research module:
-
- Research dissertation
- Specialist modules
- Nursing MSc
- Nursing Cardiac Care MSc
- Nursing Critical Care MSc
- Nursing Orthopaedic Care MSc
Kingston University
Advanced Therapeutics and Public Health, MSc *Start 2025/2026)
Required Research modules:
-
- Technology enabled care, public health and policy
- Pharmacogenomics and precision medicine
- Immunomodulation and Innovative Targeted Therapy
- Clinical Pharmacology and Advanced Therapeutics
- Research dissertation
Eligibility
Any students or professionals from registered healthcare, social work or public health disciplines (not including doctors and dentists) at an early stage in their career are eligible. This includes undergraduate and postgraduate students or professionals who have recently completed their professional registration. Individuals must be located in South London or at one of our partner NHS Trusts (see partners below) - either employed as a registered healthcare, social work or public health discipline or as a student at a university in South London. Individuals should be undertaking training towards or be registered with one of the following Regulatory Bodies:
- Academy for Healthcare Science
- General Chiropractic Council
- General Dental Council
- General Medical Council
- General Optical Council
- General Osteopathic Council
- General Pharmaceutical Council
- Health and Care Professions Council
- Nursing and Midwifery Council
- Social Work England
- UK Public Health Register
The NIHR INSIGHT Programme for South London targets students and professionals from a diverse group of disciplines. This includes nurses, midwives, allied health professionals (comprising of art/music/drama therapists; dieticians; occupational therapists; operating department practitioners; orthoptists; osteopaths; paramedics; physiotherapists; podiatrists; prosthetists and orthotists; radiographers; and speech and language therapists), pharmacists, healthcare scientists, social work and public health professionals.
Criteria
The studentships will be awarded through assessment of academic performance, relevant experience (where appropriate) and the personal statement indicating reasons for applying.
Application process
Applying for a Research Masters Studentship is a two-part process undertaken in parallel.
Part 1:
All applicants must complete the following. Please note that all applications must be submitted electronically via Qualtrics':
- The King’s College London online Research Master Studentship application for the NIHR INSIGHT Programme for South London.
- Letter of Employer Support (please attach to the application)
To help prepare for your application, you can use the following:
Part 2:
In tandem, you must apply directly to the respective university for the Master programme you are seeking to undertake. In the personal statement submitted for that Master programme application, please give a brief sentence that you have also applied for an NIHR INSIGHT South London Research Masters Studentship.
Please see below for the online applications process for each university:
- King’s College London
- St George’s, University of London
- London South Bank University
- Kingston University Funding information
Funding information
The Studentship will cover:
- Tuition fees for the Master programme
- Stipend of £21,237 (inc. London Allowance) per annum/pro-rata (full-time/part-time) for e.g. living expenses or contribute to salary costs for clinical release.
Launch webinar
Watch back a recording of the NIHR INSIGHT for South London launch webinar from 23 May 2024
Contact information
For further information on the Studentships please contact INSIGHT-SL@kcl.ac.uk
Research Engagement Activities
Our Engagement Activities seek to inspire health and social care students and professionals to pursue rewarding research careers. Our aim is to construct and deliver an innovative and inclusive programme of research activities that engages health and social care professionals in research with linkages to pursue successful research career pathways. We achieve this through our collaborative partnership with our universities in South London and NHS trusts.
We will detail and publicise our planned activities. These are structured around research:
EXPOSURE | ENCOURAGEMENT | ENGAGEMENT
Exposure:
"Accessibility to research" – communication and interaction with researchers to see lots of different types of research being conducted first hand to debunk the "mystic" around research
This intends to equip individuals to see what research is, who does it, and how is it done. This involves a breadth of activities across partners, both increasing outreach of existing activities and new regional activities to engage people across multiple organisations and professions, including an annual ‘Discover Research’ networking event
Encouragement:
“Encouraging me [as a student] to really consider research. Something I have never done before”
Encouragement to engage in research begins from the start of professional training, for example with a ‘Meet the Researchers’ series for students to hear from researchers about their work, and continues activities, including Case Studies of professionals pursing research, and workshops, such as, undertaking research in a NHS trust.
Engagement:
Seeing the real-life application of research by being part of a research team
Engagement focuses on is opportunities for students and professionals to see the real-life application of research by being part of, for example, a research team. This includes Research Residencies where individuals have a short-placement, such as with a research active clinical team.
People
Director
- Professor Catherine Evans (King’s College London)
Co-Director
- Dr Adele Stewart-Lord (London South Bank University)
Co-applicants
- Professor Lindsay Bearne (St George’s, University of London)
- Dr Suzanne Bench (Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust)
- Ms Carrie-Ann Black (South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust)
- Dr Emma Chung (King’s College London)
- Dr Andrea Cockett (Kingston University)
- Professor Susanne Cruickshank (The Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust)
- Dr Maria Duaso (King’s College London)
- Professor Chris Flood (London South Bank University)
- Dr Dan Hadfield (King’s College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust)
- Ms Clair Harris (Guy’s & St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust | NIHR Clinical Research Network South London)
- Professor Tirion Havard (London South Bank University)
- Professor Heather Jarman (St George’s University Hospital NHS Foundation Trust)
- Ms Jacky Jones (Guy’s & St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust)
- Professor Reem Kayyali (Kingston University)
- Mr Simon Lewis (Central London Community Healthcare NHS Trust)
- Professor Rachel Louise-Allen (St George’s, University of London)
- Ms Laura McCabe (Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust | NIHR Clinical Research Network South London)
- Dr Jackie McRae (St George’s, University of London)
- Prof Mary Malone (King’s College London)
- Dr Rhian Milton-Cole (King’s College London)
- Professor Calvin Moorley (London South Bank University)
- Dr Stewart Morrison (King’s College London)
- Dr Shereen Nabhani-Gebara ((Kingston University)
- Professor Ann Ooms (Kingston University)
- Professor Jane Sandall (King’s College London)
- Dr Tomasina Stacey (King’s College London)
- Dr Jennifer Stevenson (King’s College London)
- Ms Tracy Stevenson (Central London Community Healthcare NHS Trust)
- Ms Jo Teixeira (Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital NHS Trust)
- Mr Miguel Vasconcelos Da Silva (King’s College London)
Partners
- St George's, University of London
- London South Bank University
- Kingston University
- King's College London
- Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust
- The Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust
- Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital NHS Trust
- St George's, Epsom and St Helier University Hospitals and Health Group
- Central London Community Healthcare NHS Trust
- King's College Hospital
- South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust